How Does Pain Management Work?

Pain is something that every person experiences throughout life, whether it happens because you stub your toe, get in an accident, or have a chronic health condition that results in ongoing pain.

The body sends pain signals to help you know when something is wrong. As the injury starts to heal, the pain will go down with time. But what should you do if chronic pain persists and interrupts your daily activities?

What is Pain Management?

Pain management is a specialized focus in the medical industry. Therefore, when you visit a primary care physician, they have general medical knowledge but don’t offer the same in-depth level of expertise you can find from a pain management specialist.

Our team takes an in-depth approach to determine an accurate diagnosis, identify the root cause of your pain issues, then design a treatment plan that will help you enjoy the best lifestyle possible.

Using a range of treatments, we can reduce or even eliminate pain. Each patient is unique, so it’s important to understand that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for pain management. Instead, we work with patients to custom-design the solutions that are ideal for each individual.

Categorizing Pain Before Treatment

The simple answer to reducing pain is taking a pill, which covers up the symptoms. While pain medication might be a temporary option, the effectiveness of the medication starts to wear off after a few hours. Patients depending on pain medication often get stuck in the cycle of dependence – using these pills to get through the day.

When you meet with a pain management specialist, our goal is to understand the bigger picture so we can alleviate your pain. In addition to a thorough examination, we use imaging, diagnostics, and your health history to determine the diagnosis.

Part of this process focuses on categorizing the pain. First, we need to describe the pain accurately, including how it is experienced, its location in the body, frequency, and duration.

For example, acute pain is short-lasting and usually moderate to severe. Acute pain usually occurs after an accident, trauma, or injury.

Chronic pain lasts a long time, leaving the patient in pain for months or even years. The pain might be non-stop. Or, the pain might be recurring and range from mild to severe at times.

Information to Provide to Your Pain Management Specialist

What type of information should you share with a pain management specialist? The more specific you are about your pain, the better prepared your doctor can be to help you find relief.

Here is an overview of the information you should be sharing. Most doctors will ask questions about these things:

• Where is the pain located? Point to the area and get as specific as possible about where you are experiencing the pain.
• What does the pain feel like? Describe it to the best of your ability, such as stabling, aching, dull, intense, low-grade, tingling, etc.
• Are there other symptoms that accompany the pain? Related symptoms can provide more information about the underlying problems. Pay attention to symptoms like shooting pain sensations, numbness, tingling, or loss of bladder control.
• When does the pain happen? Pay attention to see if you can identify certain times of the day or specific activities that trigger the pain. For example, do you feel pain all the time, or only when moving that part of the body?
• How often do you experience pain? Pain can be something that you live with all day, every day. Explain the frequency of your pain, including how long it lasts when the pain flares.
• Are there any pain triggers? Tell the doctor about anything that makes your pain worse. For example, you might notice that the pain intensifies when you are walking or standing for long hours at a time.
• Is there anything that makes the pain feel better? Share details about things that help reduce your pain, such as laying down, ice, pain medication, etc.

Why Prescription Pain Medications Aren’t the Answer

Because of the increase in addiction and dependency issues, many doctors are shifting away from opioid medications. However, these prescriptions can be helpful for short periods of time, such as pain management after surgery.

But remember that pain medications only hide the symptoms. The ideal treatment path is to get to the root issue that is causing the pain. When we can address the structural or functional problems, it’s more likely that you will experience long-lasting relief.

Pain Management: A Multi-Faceted Approach

Our pain management doctors understand that multiple treatments and strategies are sometimes needed to create the best results. Depending on the type and severity of pain you are experiencing, one treatment might be more effective than other options.

There are instances where we find that a combination of treatments is ideal for helping patients find relief.

Pain management prioritizes interventional treatments instead of invasive methods like surgery. Sometimes, pain management is an effective solution to avoid the need for a patient to have surgery. Other times, pain management is ideal for people experiencing ongoing pain that doesn’t respond to any other treatments.

Our pain management doctors follow a step-by-step process to help patients get immediate relief and minimize pain in the future:

1. First-Line Treatment: The first step is always to help with immediate pain relief. This might involve medications such as muscle relaxants and/or anti-inflammatories, injections, and electrical nerve stimulation.
2. Second-Line Treatment: Now that the pain is under control, it’s time to look at more advanced treatments to reduce the likelihood of pain going forward. A variety of minimally-invasive methods can be used at this stage.
3. Maintenance: Once you find a way to manage the pain, it doesn’t mean that you don’t need to talk to a pain management doctor again. Lifestyle quality is our highest priority, which is why we maintain contact with our patients to help people avoid chronic pain in the coming months and years.

Types of Pain Management Treatments

A variety of lifestyle changes, medical interventions, and other services can be used in a pain management treatment plan. For example, pain management doctors use methods that aren’t available from general practitioners, such as:

• Nerve blocks (injections)
• Spinal cord stimulation using electrical devices
• Medication pumps
• And more

Pain Management Doctor Qualifications

When you meet with a pain management specialist, the doctor has earned the title of a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) or a Doctor of Medicine (MD). Additionally, pain doctors continue their training with years of specialized experience in this sub-focus of the medical industry.

At Kentuckiana Pain Specialists, we have a team of professional pain management doctors who are ready to help. If you are in or near Louisville, Kentucky area, then call us to book a consultation: (502) 995-4004.